Day x of 30: Sterek OTP challenge
by SmithyofWords
Summary: A new chapter every day for the 30 Day OTP challenge from Tumblr. All will be short (ish) one-shots. Sterek. Fluff-ish. I tried to write as in-character as possible, so hopefully no OOC moments here. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and encouraged. Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

Day 1: Holding Hands

Written for the tumblr 30 day of OTP writing challenge. I hope you enjoy this. I do not own the characters from Teen Wolf. Here is my attempt to write Teen Wolf fanfiction. I hope you enjoy.

Constructive criticism is welcome. : )

Stiles was terrified.

Not that this was anything new; when your best friend becomes a werewolf and hangs out with a group of other supernatural (or just plain weird) creatures, you find yourself in some pretty scary situations.

This was one of those times.

A normal walk in the woods to clear his mind had turned into something from a horror movie, as a massive beast came after him. Stiles was smart-okay, more than smart, he was nearly a genius, responsible for educating Scott and other members of the Pack on all things supernatural. But in all his hours spent studying and searching for answers, he'd never come across_ this_...

But the monstrosity with glowing red eyes and feathers would have to wait to be identified because right now, all that mattered was getting the hell out of there.

Scooting back in the dead leaves, Stiles found himself shaking and backed up against a tree, breathing heavily. Normally his thoughts were racing, but with fear added to the mix? They were nearly incomprehensible;  
_gotta get...what the hell?...what about dad?...can't die like this...oh my God...this can't be happening...what do I do?_

The monster bared its rows of razor-sharp teeth (which almost looked like a murderous grin to Stiles) and began to approach him. Stiles was like a deer in the headlights, quivering and muttering to himself, eyes huge-taking in the beast in all its horrific appearance.

The twigs snapped beneath its feet as the creature lunged forward, and then...nothing!

Stiles, who had squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the worst, opened one, then the other. Why wasn't he dead?

"D-derek?" he squeaked.

Sure enough, the aloof young man stood in front of him, staring down the monster.

"Get out of here, Stiles!" The man growled, clearly shifting into his other form.

Stiles gulped and nodded his head, ducking behind the tree and scurrying away.

Derek's eyes shone red with anger and hatred, "I don't know what you are, but this is _my_ territory. You are NOT welcome!" He roared, baring his fangs, and flew at the unknown creature, swiping at its face and neck.

Most creatures would think twice about entering an Alpha's territory, and they would never consider actually fighting one. So, Derek knew this was no ordinary being-as he was thrown through the air and crushed into a tree. Crouched on the ground, he clutched at his chest, coughing up blood onto the forest floor. Inhaling sharply, he stared up at the monster before him. Just what was this thing?

It became clearer and clearer as Derek was beaten into the ground that there was no way he could fight off this monstrosity, let alone defend himself against it, without the help of his Pack. Retreating into the shadows, he howled to the sky, alerting the others to his presence.

After limping through the brush, Derek came across a sight that made everything so much worse. There was Stiles, peering out beneath the greenery.

Stiles hissed at Derek, gesturing for the wounded man to join him, "Hey. Psst, Derek! Derek! Get over here."

Derek furrowed his brow, but did as he was told, crouching next to Stiles, "Stiles, you idiot! I told you to get out of here. What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get killed?"

"Jesus, man, I just wanted to get a look at what that _thing _is. After all, with you fighting it, I don't have to worry, right?"

Derek grimaced and pointed to his ripped clothing and fresh wounds, causing Stiles to gasp a bit, "Dude, what the hell is that thing? I thought you could handle this? Wait, oh shit. If you can't handle this, then that thing is really dangerous, right?" He began to talk a mile-a-minute until Derek's sharp glare shut him up. "But, seriously, dude. Are you gonna be okay? That looks disgusting." Stiles gagged a bit and made a face.

"I'll be fine. Healing powers, remember, dumbass?" Derek rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Whatever. We have to get out of here. I called the Pack, and they'll be here to back me up, but I can't protect us like this."

Stiles nodded, "Okay, what's the...the, ah...Derek?"

Derek glared again, "What?"

"Behind...you." Stiles whimpered.

"Oh, shit," Derek exhaled, "run, idiot!" He shoved the smaller man from their hiding place before sprinting after him.

"Damn it, you're too slow!" Derek yelled back at Stiles who was stumbling to keep up with him.

"Oh, so-rry!" Stiles managed to get out.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp tug pulling him forward. Derek's strong and calloused right hand had gripped his own bony left one, and drew him forward.

"Derek?"

"I said, you're too slow; let's go, it's coming!" Derek cried out.

The two men scrambled through the forest, Stiles being dragged alongside Derek-remarkable, considering the latter's poor condition.

Finally, the two emerged on a cliff overlooking the town, panting and fatigued.

Stiles spun around, "Is it gone? Did we lose it?"

Derek bent over, his hands resting on his knees, uncharacteristically tired, "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

The two spent a few moments catching their breath, then sat down on a large boulder.

Stiles, of course, was the first to break the silence, "I'm gonna find out what that thing is. It's no ordinary monster. I've never seen anything like it or heard about anything remotely similar. It's weird!"

Derek nodded at the suggestion, "When you know, tell me. And Scott. We'll need to know what we're facing."

Stiles lowered his head and frowned a bit, "Derek. I, um...I'm sorry."

Derek was judging the extent of his wounds, inspecting his forearm, "For what?"

"For being a burden and...you got hurt more because of me. I'm sorry."

Derek gazed up at Stiles momentarily, looking unsure of what to do. "I...yeah," he remarked gruffly, then swallowed, "It's fine. Just don't do it again."

Stiles put on a small smile and sheepishly rubbed his short fuzz for hair, "Ha, yeah. I do NOT want a repeat of that scenario. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, living with werewolves and hunters and all...so, maybe you'll take pity on me and save me again?"

Derek snorted and hopped down from the rock, whacking Stiles on the back of the head, "See you around, idiot."


	2. Chapter 2 of 30: Cuddling Somewhere

Day 2: cuddling somewhere

Stiles was lost for words. And keep in mind, this is Stiles we're talking about, the boy-wonder who wouldn't shut up, so that's saying something.

Before him was a newly hatched dragon, still partially stuck in its speckled egg. Scott had found it in a ravine on the edge of town while running and dropped it off with Derek. He had enough of his own supernatural problems to deal with without adding a dragon to the mix.

Stiles laughed, "It's so cute. I didn't think a dragon would be this cute."

He was about to pat the small creature on its head but drew his hand back when Derek cleared his throat, "Stiles, don't touch it."

"Huh, but why? It's just a little-ah!"

That tiny creature that appeared just moments earlier began to yawn, smoke billowing from its minute mouth.

"Stiles, get down!" Derek lunged after him and tackled Stiles to the ground, just as the dragon exhaled a long steam of flames above their heads.

Stiles blinked in shock, eyes wide, "What? Aw man, it was so cute. Now you're gonna tell me it's deadly, too?"

Derek scowled at him and rolled his eyes a bit, "You may be human, but you know the legends. Dragons are dangerous, idiot. It's not a pet cat or something."

Stiles frowned, "Yeah...I guess not. Hey, are you going to keep holding onto me? I mean..."

Derek looked down at the boy awkwardly shifting beneath his arms and made an embarrassed face.

"Stiles, as much as I would love to get up, we can't exactly move while that thing is blowing smoke and fire around." Derek frowned and sighed, "We should wait for it to fall asleep."

"Ah, oka-"

"Not! Another word."

"Okay."


	3. Chapter 3: Watching a movie

Day 3: Watching a movie/ playing video games

I'm sorry that this took so long to finish. It's nearly time for me to take exams again, so I'm really flustered and busy. I'll do my best to put content online soon, so please bear with me.

Stiles had invited Scott over for a werewolf movie marathon.

It had been months since Scott had first shifted, and it was shocking to Stiles that he hadn't sat down and had a proper werewolf movie viewing. It was downright criminal, in fact.

So one Friday night after their lacrosse practice, Scott was dragged into Stiles' house, and plopped down on the couch, snacks in one hand, drink in the other.

He rolled his eyes, "I still don't see how this is supposed to help me, dude."

Stiles turned around from where he was, putting the first DVD in the player, "Dude! This is vital to your wolf-liness! Don't back-sass me, I know what I'm doing…I am the KING of movies."

Scott just smiled at his friend, he was a weirdo, but they'd been best friends since either of them could remember. "Sure. Let's just get this over with, yeah?"

Stiles beamed back at him, "Now you're getting into the spirit of things! All right, man."

The two were halfway through the second film of the evening when Stiles did a perfect spit take with his soda.

There was Derek Hale, standing just out of the corner of his eye.

Stiles pressed pause on the remote and spun to face him, "Jesus, Derek! What the hell is it with you and sneaking up on people?"

Derek smirked and raised an eyebrow, "I would knock, but I don't think your dad would like having a murderer in the house, even if I was pardoned."

Stiles had to concede that point, "Yeah, but it's the principle of the thing…ugh, why do I even bother! What do you want, Derek? More research to do? Want me to convince Scott and Allison to steal more information?"

Scott was asleep next to Stiles, a small spot of drool on the couch. He was twitching his fingers and his eyelids were fluttering. (He often dreamt like dogs do, much to Stiles' mirth and Scott's chagrin.)

Derek sighed, "Something like that. I can feel that something's coming, and I want to be ready when it does. The Argents know more about so-called threats than any of us do, even if they're jackasses, their knowledge is useful to us."

Stiles wasn't expecting Derek to flop down on the floor, but that's exactly what he did.

With his back against the sofa and his head resting on the cushion, Derek made himself comfortable.

Stiles was about to say something snarky or ask him to leave before his father came home, but he noticed how tired the older man looked, dark lines under his eyes, skin even paler than usual, and hair disheveled.

He spoke softly, "Derek, are you okay? You don't look so good, I mean, you know, worse than usual…"

Under normal circumstances, Derek would've snapped and said something pithy back or glared daggers at the younger man, but it was late, he had had a rough couple of days, and all he wanted was to rest. He would never admit that he felt safest with these teenagers.

He didn't even lift his head or turn around, "I'm…just…tired. You can continue doing whatever it is you were doing before I came."

Stiles thought about pressing the issue further, but decided against it. Instead, he just pressed play on the remote again.

The sappy acting resumed and the noises of bad special effects came through the speakers, albeit a bit softer, so as not to wake Scott who was now growling under his breath.

"Want any food?" Stiles was trying to be sociable with Derek. After all, it wasn't every day that the local terrifying Alpha decided to crash in your living room.

There was silence and Stiles leaned over to observe the older man. Derek was asleep and looking oddly peaceful.

Stiles grabbed the quilt that lay across the back of the couch and placed it gently on the sleeping figure before him. He couldn't help but give a small smile at Derek's outwardly peaceful appearance. It suddenly struck him as very sad that the only time Derek could relax was when he wasn't conscious.

He returned to his original position on the sofa, sitting cross-legged, where he watched the remaining fifteen minutes of the film before dozing off himself.

It was good to be surrounded by friends, even if one was drooling and whimpering like an idiot next to him, and the other would threaten to break his neck if he called him that publicly.

Yeah…friends.


	4. Chapter 4: A Date

**Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the huge delay in getting this out. First, I was recovering from finishing final exams, then I had writer's block, then I had surgery and was recovering, so now I'm back on track. Thanks for sticking it out with me. As always, constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged.**

**Thanks!**

* * *

**Day 4: On a Date**

Stiles scooted into the red diner's booth, grabbing a menu and holding it in front of his face.

Derek sat opposite of him and did the same.

Stiles did that thing-that leg shaking thing-that some people do when they're nervous or hyper. And right now, he was definitely both.

Derek dragged Stiles along to watch Scott and Allison who were sitting across the restaurant. Aside from being on a date, there was always a chance that Scott and Allison were going to discuss information relevant to the supernatural. And there was no way in hell Scott or Allison would come right out and tell Derek about it, so he had to resort to other methods. Methods that involved annoying teenage boys named Stiles.

Said annoying teenage boy was now swinging his feet back and forth beneath the booth like a hyperactive toddler. How did he have so much energy? Maybe there is something supernatural about him, after all...

Stiles ordered a chocolate milkshake and when the waitress chirped, "...and for your date?," Derek just rolled his eyes and said, "I'll have what he's having. Thanks."

The waitress _click-clacked _away in her heels and Stiles leaned out a bit from behind his menu, "Ha, that was weird, huh? I mean, why did she assume we're dating? I mean, not that you're not attractive-I mean, I'm not hitting on you or anything, I-"

"Stiles-" Derek glowered.

"Shut up?" Stiles gulped and nodded, "'kay."

Derek snorted and accepted their milkshakes from the waitress who returned.

"Thanks."

The ditzy woman giggled, clearly enthralled with the handsome young-man, "Oh, of course. Enjoy, you two!"

Stiles dove into his milkshake with gusto and finished it in record time.

Derek was much more moderate in his milkshake consumption, peering out from their booth, observing those around him, and taking a sip every once in a while. He looked at Stiles and raised an eyebrow; just how fast could he eat?

Stiles was mumbling about not liking spying on friends when he stopped: Derek was staring intently at his face.

Stiles rubbed at his mouth with his sleeve, "Ah, do I have something on here?" (some whipped cream had been at the corner of his lips and now stuck on his shirt.) "Ah, okay."

Derek pursed his lips and nodded, then looked away, a bit embarrassed.

Stiles grinned at him, then turned to look at Scott and Allison-who were gone!

Stiles whipped his head around and shook Derek's wrist, "Dude, Derek, they're gone! Whadd'we do?"

Derek sighed and readjusted his posture, "Nothing. They probably went to make out or something. There's nothing we can do now..."

Stiles looked down at his empty glass, "So, you mean this was a complete waste of time?"

The waitress returned to the booth and took Derek's money, "Here's your-"

"Keep the change." Derek said somewhat gruffly and stood, putting on his leather jacket again.

Stiles scrambled out of the booth after him and shuffled to the Alpha's side, "Wait, so was this a waste of time? Did your wolf-y super-hearing catch anything good?"

"No," Derek made a small smile, "It wasn't a complete waste of time."


	5. Chapter 5: Kiss

Day 5 of the OTP Challenge: Kissing

It all happened so fast.

Scott had gone to meet with Derek to let him know about something the Argents might be planning—he'd overheard something while in Allison's room.

Stiles tagged along and everything was going normally…until it wasn't.

There was a loud explosion as the walls above the abandoned train station crumbled. Shouting voices could be heard among the noise of shattering glass. Someone was coming for them and that someone didn't care what was destroyed in the process.

Derek slammed Scott into the side of a broken-down train door and nearly spat in his face, "What the hell is this? Is this some kind of trap? What've you done?"

Scott looked just as bewildered as Derek felt and could only stutter dumbly as his wide eyes tried to take in the rapidly deteriorating situation.

Erica and Boyd went to see what was going on, while Issac looked menacingly at Stiles.

Scott ripped Derek's hands off him and gathered his resolve, "It's the Argents. It has to be. They must've followed me from Allison's house. Damn it. I think they're coming for you. I overheard them being angry with you for turning more people—that you broke your agreement. I think those were grenades…or something."

Derek growled, "Shit. There was _no_ agreement-just an unspoken cease-fire. That's over now. Issac, get Scott and Stiles out of here. Stiles is human. He has no business being in this fight, and we need to protect Scott; I do need a source of information, after all."

After the three of them looked blankly at the Alpha, his eyes glowed red and he snarled.

Issac went to grab the two boys, but Scott protested, "We don't know how many are out there. You need all the help you can get! Stiles, get out of here!"

Stiles squirmed and tried to free himself from Issac's grasp, "Dude, we're best friends. I'm not gonna leave you here to fight these assholes by yourself."

Scott turned to smile weakly at Stiles, "I appreciate it. But I'd like to keep my best friend alive. Besides…we might not be pack, but they've looked out for us. I can't just leave them."

Sadly, the mini pep-talk was cut short by the sound of screams piercing the air. Erica was down for the count, it seemed, probably hit by a crossbow bolt or a bullet.

The Earth shook beneath their feet as the sound of another explosion tore through the air.

Derek and Scott leapt through a newly formed hole in the wall, disappearing to face the attackers.

Issac's eyes softened as he looked at Stiles. He knew what it was to be weak and feel useless. "I know it's hard. But you heard what they said; we've gotta go."

Stiles knitted his eyebrows and sighed in frustration, "I know. I just wish…let's go."

Just as the two of them were about to leave the room, another explosion rang out, and the room seemed to spin and rock around them.

"Stiles," Issac called out, sheltering him with his body just as the roof collapsed. Dust, concrete, and dirt were everywhere. Shards of glass and pieces of metal jutted out at strange angles, and it was incredibly difficult to see with all the smoke.

All was still for a moment.

Derek howled to the sky in rage and the pack joined in. Their shelter had been destroyed, their lives were being threatened, and they would be damned if they wouldn't go down fighting.

Blood was spilt on both sides. The hunters ended up falling back after too many of them had been maimed or killed.

When it was all over, Erica had sustained a bullet wound in the chest, but it was near her shoulder and had an exit wound. At least she would heal relatively quickly, despite the pain. Boyd had a few cracked ribs and a concussion, but he was quietly tending to Erica. He was selfless in that way—always thinking of others' pain before his own. Scott and Derek had managed to make it out relatively unscathed.

The same could not be said for Stiles and Issac, however.

Scott clasped his hand on Derek's shoulder, "Thank you. You had my back out there."

Derek just nodded quietly and took a deep breath, "It's lucky we all made it. Erica and Boyd are still relatively new at all…this. This life…" He gestured to the smoking remains of their former hideout and the human bodies that lay strewn across the landscape.

Scott was about to agree with Derek's comment on their good fortune when his eyes widened suddenly. It wasn't just the stench of the hunters' blood that hung in the air, but Stiles' too!

"Derek, I think—," he choked out before Derek interrupted him.

"I know. Shit. All this standing around and talking and look where it got us." Scott might've been mistaken, but Derek's eyes looked almost…terrified.

Erica and Boyd were too weak to assist the others, so they tended to their wounds quietly in a small grove of trees nearby.

Derek and Scott proceeded to shift some of the heavy material that had fallen into the underground room. Huge slabs of concrete were shoved around, metal was discarded, and small fires extinguished.

Scott became more and more frantic as their search didn't yield any findings, "Derek, what if he's dead? What if my best friend is dead and I can't find his body? What will I tell my mom? What will I tell Stiles' dad? Oh God…"

Derek's eyes glowed red and his body was visibly shaking from the exertion. He flung a wooden chair out of his way and growled out, "We _will _find them. This is _my_ pack—_my_ responsibility!"

They two young men spent another fifteen minutes searching through rubble and stopping to sniff for clues when they found them.

Trapped beneath an I-beam was Issac, and under him lay Stiles.

Scott cried out, "Derek, I found them! They're here!"

Derek and Scott used the last of their strength to lift the beam and toss it aside.

Derek pulled Issac up from the ground and looked him over. The young wolf was dangerously weak but not dead. A massive gash lay across his back where the beam fell and Derek was sure a few of his bones had broken.

He called out for Erica and Boyd and handed them his car keys, "Take him. Get him to the hospital. He's one of us now, so he should heal, but we can't treat him here. Get him somewhere safe."

They nodded and grabbed the youngest member of the pack. Derek smiled softly at their retreating figures. It was nice to see kindness in the pack's dealings with one another.

Scott was occupied with Stiles. The young werewolf knelt in the dirt and was attempting to check his friend's vital signs, but his eyes kept getting blurred by tears.

"D-Derek, he shouldn't have been here. What…what am I going to do?" Scott's voice cracked and his shoulders were shaking.

Derek furrowed his brows and sighed before bending down and holding onto Scott's shoulder, "Scott, you're tired. This is overwhelming for you. I think it would be best if you went to the hospital to join Issac. You need something to tell your mother, right? And I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company. I'll look after Stiles."

Scott wiped his face with his sweatshirt sleeve and stood to face Derek. "Please…take care of him. He's my best friend. I don't know what I'll do if I lose him."

Derek nodded and the two young men clasped hands, "I promise. Go."

Scott took one last look at his friend and turned away, running to reach Stiles' Jeep. He didn't like other people driving his car, but Scott was pretty sure Stiles would make an exception if it was an emergency.

Derek watched Scott disappear into the distance and bent down to get a closer look at Stiles. The younger boy's body seemed to be fine from the outside. Issac must've sheltered him from most of the crushing weight of the ceiling. Derek knelt in the dirt and put his right ear to Stiles' chest. He had a pulse but it was weak and his breathing was shallow. There didn't seem to be any broken bones, but he couldn't be sure; he wasn't a doctor.

He knew that Stiles needed medical attention. Broken bones, bullet wounds, cuts—Derek could deal with all of those, but if there was a brain injury or something equally horrible, there wasn't any way he could help. Derek clenched his teeth and his face fell. He hated feeling useless.

A bit of his strength had returned, so Derek managed to grab Stiles and gently cradled him in his arms. They didn't have any means of transportation, so Derek sighed and began to run to the hospital.

The nurses in the Emergency Room looked shocked as they saw Derek enter. He must've been a real sight. Covered in scratches, clothing torn, and caked with mud and dust, Derek staggered into the ward, still clutching Stiles to his chest.

"Please…please, you have to help him," he managed to get out between breaths.

Mrs. McCall was at the desk and she ran over to take Stiles from Derek's arms, "What happened to him? What did you do?"

Derek collapsed onto the floor.

The ward was abuzz with nurses and doctors calling for medication and stretchers. Derek's vision became very fuzzy and black around the edges and all the voices and beeping machines blended into the background…

Derek awoke with a start, not remembering where he was. An IV was attached to his arm and he could hear the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor next to him. He became agitated and tried to remove the equipment's hold on him, leading to them angrily bleeping in response. A nurse came in the room and pushed him back down onto his bed. "Ah, she said you might be trouble. Don't go moving these until we say you don't need them, okay? You were severely dehydrated and suffered from extreme exhaustion. You've been out for a day, but we have to make sure nothing's worse than that. So, do us all a favor and don't move around too much, got it?"

Derek tried to glare at her, but he didn't bother arguing. His body was almost fully healed due to his supernatural abilities, but normal humans didn't know that.

He did, however, clear his throat as the nurse was leaving to get her attention. "The kid I came in with... How is he?"

The nurse grimaced, "We're not sure, I'm afraid. We're still running tests. Physically, he appears fine, but we need to make sure he doesn't have any brain damage. If you want, I can let you know if your friend wakes up."

Derek nodded.

A few hours later Erica and Boyd came in to visit. The two were patched up with bandages but were healing nicely, as to be expected. They updated Derek on Issac's condition. He, too, was healing much faster than any of the nurses could explain, but he was taking care not to arouse suspicion.

"Any news on Stiles yet," Derek tried to sound nonchalant. In answer, the two Betas shook their heads and gave him a small smile before leaving the room.

Derek drifted in and out of sleep, awakened every time the nurse came to change his IV or give him water. It was fitful for other reasons, too. Everyone knows it's hard to sleep when one's nervous…

Early the next morning, Sheriff Stilinski came in to his room. "Derek Hale, I see. I heard you were awake. What do you have to say for yourself? What the hell were you playing at?"

Derek understood the father's worried anger, but he was never good with words. All he could say was, "Scott and he were hanging out in the woods. I'm not sure what they were doing, but something did. Scott found me and went for help-asked me to look after Stiles. I did."

Something about his story didn't ring true, but the Sheriff didn't want to press the issue. He had hardly slept in days from worry and he was just thankful that his son was receiving care. "I don't know if you're telling me the full truth, and I have no reason to believe you, but…thank you for bringing him here."

Derek nodded at the tired man, "You should get some sleep."

Mr. Stilinski puffed out his chest, "I don't like taking advice from possible felons. I'm fine. I'm going to wait for my son to wake up. I'll finish questioning you later."

Derek nodded at the Sheriff as he left the room.

It was several more hours before the nurse came in to bring him lunch. "Well, I do have some news about your friend," she said, placing an unappetizing tray of jello, mashed potatoes, and some kind of meat in front of him. "His brain waves and other vitals are stable. We're seeing a change in brain waves patterns. It could mean that he's going to wake up, or it could mean nothing-too soon to say."

Derek glowered at the meal presented to him but nodded curtly at the nurse, "Thank you for telling me."

Later that night, while Derek was attempting to shift into a comfortable sleeping position, the same nurse from around noontime came to change IVs again. She shuffled as quietly as possible into the room, in an attempt not to wake the patient.

Derek sighed and rolled onto his back, "It's okay. I'm awake."

The nurse smiled softly, "Sorry. Just have to change this out-I've been working a double-shift, but before I go, I thought you should know that your friend is awake."

It took all her power to stop Derek from getting out of bed that moment.

"Oh, no you don't. You are not allowed to leave this bed, unless you're using the restroom or assisted by a nurse or staff member."

Derek got a conspiratorial look on his face, "Hm…but you're a nurse, aren't you?"

The nurse smiled at his line of questioning, "Yes, I am…and I really shouldn't take you to see him. It's not even visiting hours, but to be honest, we like someone to be there when people wake up; So, just this once, alright? And you'd better not tell my supervisor about this."

The two shuffled down the hall, the nurse pulled the rack with his IVs behind and did her best to support Derek. By now, Derek didn't need any help walking, but it was hospital policy that if patients weren't a wheelchair, that they were being helped along.

She rapped quietly on the door and waited to hear a weak voice reply, "Come in," before continuing.

Opening the door before him, Derek's eyes softened. It was good to see Stiles awake…and more importantly, unharmed.

"We'll be fine," Stiles told the nurse, "Could you give us a minute?"

The nurse looked troubled but agreed, "Okay, but only a minute or two. I'll be outside, if you need me."

The door clicked closed and Derek sat down on a wooden chair next to Stiles' bedside. "I thought your dad would still be in here."

"The nurses sent him home. He had been awake for days and he was too worried to rest here, they said. He'll probably come back during visitor hours tomorrow."

Derek nodded. He didn't quite know what to say, "So…you're okay?"

Stiles patted his head softly, "More or less. They think that I hurt my brain when I hit the ground. They want to keep me here for a week or so—make sure nothing's gone loose in there. I would've had it much worse if it hadn't been for Issac. How is he, by the way?"

"He's fine. You forget that we can heal faster and better than you. In that way, it's good that he was hurt. He was pretty banged up, but Scott was watching him and explaining everything to his mother…and your father, I assume."

Stiles smiled at Derek's words, "Ha, the poor guy, I don't envy being him right now. That totally sucks. He's a good friend though…"

Derek nodded and turned to look at the door, "I'm…I should get going. The nurse is going to be back soon."

He turned around to see that Stiles had fallen back asleep. Snoring softly, Stiles was back to his dorky self. It was good to see the old Stiles back, even if he was obnoxious and hyperactive. Derek stood to go, but pulled Stiles' covers up.

He patted the younger man on the head, rubbing the fuzz that was his hair, and bent down to place a small kiss on his forehead.

Derek smiled, remembering the past.

His mother used to do that when he was sick. She would always make a big deal over anything, even if it was just a cold. Before bed, she'd pat her children on the head, tell them goodnight, and kiss their foreheads. It was meant to be good luck.

He closed his eyes and remembers her face as if she were standing beside him, "Love makes everything heal faster. I believe that."


End file.
